There are many places from where someone could recognize Alan Peng. Some people might recognize him from the Claremont High School (CHS) water polo team or from his four years on the varsity swim team. Some might recognize him from his being a three-time Gold Winner of the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Others might recognize him from his role as President of the CHS Math Club. Now, he will also be known as Claremont High’s 2025-2026 Salutatorian, the student with the second highest GPA in CHS’ senior academic class.
“When they were about to announce the salutatorian, my heart was beating really fast,” Peng said. “When they announced my name, I felt a wave of happiness. I loved hearing my friends screaming for me in the crowd, as well as the hugs and smiles they gave me after the rally.”
Part of Peng’s success and his passion for mathematics were driven by the teachers and adults who supported him, which is why he would like to shout out Dr. Arboleda and Mr. Carrillo.
Next year, Peng is going to be attending the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), to study Applied Mathematics, the use of mathematics to solve real-world problems in industries such as medicine, finance and engineering.
“[Math] was the only subject that stood out to me since elementary school,” Peng said. “I wanted to follow [that] passion. I feel like a lot of the maths just had a big impact on me, and it feels like a bigger aspect of my life than other subjects.”
Though his high school journey has been an exciting experience, there are many things that Peng is looking forward to even more next year.
“I feel in high school, the people you’re with are very limited and it’s the same,” Peng said. “But in college, once you’re on a bigger campus, you see different people every day, you meet new people, you find different experiences, and it’s just never the same thing on the same day. It’s always moving at a fast pace because of how big it is and how many people there are.”
As Peng looks towards his next four years as a UCLA Bruin, he leaves with one final piece of advice for other CHS students on how to succeed in high school and elsewhere.
“Whatever you do, make sure you do it [well] because you want to find your passion and follow through with it,” Peng said.
